Sunday, January 22, 2012

Egad! I just logged on to our website, www.ktpublicrelations.com, and discovered that its been sacked! Very little content is left there. I'm going to have to figure out how to place orange cones and an "under construction" sign on it. It's an embarrassment. Don't go there...please. It's like a house that's been hit by a tornado.

I wish I were smarter about this stuff, but I'll just have to do what I can. Please bear with me while I trash the old site and create a new one.

Next week I'm visiting NYC for the first time since October. I'm hoping to meet a few editors while I'm there.

I will be having lunch with the "PR Gals," cronies in the book publicity biz whom I've known / worked with forever. Three of us are still in the business, the fourth is "semi-retired." All of us are trying to figure out what the "new" book publishing model means for us.

One thing is for sure--there is a publishing revolution going on and we're all trying to keep up with the ever-changing tides.

Monday, January 2, 2012

January 2, 2011—I was diagnosed with endometrial cancer in November, a week before our planned trip to the Northwest. Bummer.

I have always been proud (if a bit smug) about my consistent good health. My first wake-up call came in April when I discovered I had type 2 diabetes. Bummer.

I’m lucky though. I had undeniable symptoms (quick weight loss, thirst) and my physician assured me that I hadn’t had the condition for long. Diabetes is chronic and cannot be cured. It is up to me how quickly it progresses. I take one pill a day, count carbs, keep my weight down and try to exercise consistently. So far, so good. I feel great most of the time and the condition does not slow me down.

Cancer, though, that is something else again. The word itself is damn scary. After a consultation with my gynecologist, I made an appointment with a surgeon—a guy with a fine reputation for this kind of surgery. He explained everything to Jon and me and assured us that he was confident that endoscopic surgery would rid me of the cancer. If the post-surgery biopsy indicated that more malignant cells were present, I’d have to endure chemotherapy.

We scheduled surgery for December 8 and then went ahead with our plans to visit our son in Portland and my brother and sister-in-law in Boise, Idaho. I put the surgery and the cancer on the back burner and we had a wonderful time.

As soon as we returned, I was scheduled for every pre-op test imaginable including chest x-ray, ultrasounds, and countless blood tests. The 3 ½ hour surgery was successful and the surgeon said he was pleased with what he saw. The pathology report would be the final hurdle. We had an appointment to hear the results on December 19.

My recovery was excellent. I spent a week and a half sitting in a chair with my feet up watching “Real Housewives” and reading several books on my new Kindle. But after a few days I was making meals, doing laundry and other light tasks.

December 19 loomed large though. I felt numb when the surgeon said, “I have good news for you.” Just as he predicted, the pathology report was clean. Now I’m an ex-cancer patient. I’ll have frequent check-ups and various tests over the next few years, but I do not have cancer now—I hope I never have it again.

However, the diabetes diagnosis and this experience have really set my back. My health became the focal point and I’ve gotten so behind in agency work. And, between Jon’s 97-year-old mom and me, Jon, too, has let things slip.

That’s why I’m writing this blog at long last. Our New Year’s resolutions are simple: Read partials and manuscripts and report back to the authors who’ve entrusted us with their projects. Then….sell books.

Thank you for your patience. It’s a new year and we have committed ourselves to getting caught up. I look forward to many exciting publishing experiences ahead.

About Us

We launched our literary agency in 2006. Kae was publicity director at Rodale before launching KT Public Relations in 1993. Jon, a corporate veteran and frustrated literati, joined the public relations business in 1995 after getting his Masters in library science.
So, here we are, running two parallel publishing-based businesses. It’s an exciting time—doing what we love and learning something new each day. Stay tuned. This is a work in progress and we invite your participation.